The invention is directed to an amusement device constructed from a plurality of plates which can be assembled and disassembled only in specific sequence of steps to gain access to a secret compartment of the device and whatever might be housed therein.
There are a number of games or amusement devices which are formed from a plurality of individual elements which must be assembled or disassembled by following a prescribed series of movements, generally movements of individual components of the amusement device, otherwise the amusement device can neither be assembled nor disassembled. Thus, the "amusement" aspects of such amusement devices reside in the ability of an individual to correctly determine precisely the sequence of movements which are necessary to disassemble the amusement device, and having done so, reassembled the components generally in the inverse order of disassembly to achieve reassembly thereof.
A typical amusement device of the latter type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,968 granted on Dec. 2, 1986 to Brian L. McDermott. In this device a cage is formed of a cap, a base and four corner pins, and the cage encloses a ball which is visible from the exterior of the cage. The spacing between the pins is such that the ball cannot be removed from the cage and the "puzzle" is to correctly determine the manner in which the ball can be removed from the cage. In this amusement device or puzzle, one of the pins is prevented from being fully inserted into a socket of a base by means of a magnetic latch which can be unlatched by rapping or tapping the amusement device in two different directions to release the pin and permit the ball to be removed from the cage. However, it is difficult for the uninformed observer to detect which if any of the pins can be removed thereby providing a novel "puzzle" for resolution by those interested in such amusement devices.
Another puzzle involving the concept of positioning an object, such as a ball, within a cage-like structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,617 issued on Oct. 3, 1972 to Geoffrey A. Mogilner et al. In the puzzle of this patent a plurality of rigid columns are united by flexible tension members which collectively can be assembled to form a cage to entrap a ball or reformed in a particular fashion to permit the ball to be released therefrom.
Though not a puzzle, U.S. Pat. No. 727,258 issued on May 5, 1903 to Lester. J. Bailey discloses a rattle in which one or more round objects are housed within a chamber formed from a plurality of interlocked independent elements. The purpose of the structure is to permit the various plates forming the rattle to be assembled without nails, screws or other separate fastening devices, and the patent discloses a preferred sequence of steps to put the parts together to form the rattle. Though there is no intention to disassemble the rattle to gain access to the balls within the rattle interior, obviously disassembly in an opposite sequence to assembly would be in order. However, both assembly and disassembly is relatively apparent from observing the construction of the rattle.